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He got to his feet, slid the ring on my finger, and bent me backwards. The kiss ignited a fire deep in my soul. This man really was my forever.
The cheering in the room grew to a fever pitch, and once again, I was engulfed in more hugs. Althea and Carmen were crying. Jessica was wiping tears as she too hugged us both. The amount of joy in my heart right now, I could burst from it.
Two Weeks Later
“Are you ready, babe?” Danni called out as she walked into the bedroom.
“Almost. Dammit. I can’t get it… Oh, never mind.” I laughed at myself. No one ever said hooking those stocking garter things was easy. This was the third try. I would blame the baby belly, but I didn’t really have one yet.
It was my nerves.
Today was the day that I would stand before the altar at the church and pledge my love and life to the man who’d stolen my heart. We were not having a fancy wedding. It was going to be small, quaint, and non-stressful. Keeping it out of the newspapers had been a pain in the butt.
Why did people care who was doing what? If we were dirt poor, they’d not give a crap. But oh no, marry a billionaire and people come out of the woodwork.
That was also why we’d chosen to get married on a Thursday. People would already be out and about, commuting to different places, events, and no one would think twice seeing a woman in white riding by them.
I hoped so anyway.
My hands ran along the dress front. I’d chosen a white A-line, strapless dress that didn’t weigh fifty pounds. It had lace everywhere, but it was breathable. For nine in the morning, in the south, on the coast, that was a must. I was not a fancy girl, but this dress made me feel like a million bucks.
When we were talking about wedding spots, the beach was my first choice. James and I loved the beach. We had a favorite spot, and thankfully, Carmen and Quentin’s pastor had agreed to meet with us. We’d spent a couple of hours talking about life, what marriage meant to us, and discussing what we wanted and where we wanted to say our vows. With him on board to do the ceremony, everything became so real.
“You look gorgeous.” I turned at the sound of my mama’s voice.
“Don’t make me cry.” I smiled, moving to give her a hug.
“I make no promises. Now, come on, we don’t want to be late. Pastor Blake is waiting.”
I picked up my bag, slid my feet into a pair of dressy white sandals, and followed her out the door.
Carmen had Lola; Quentin was in charge of getting James there. Danni was with me. Seemed like we had all the ducklings, we just needed to get there without anyone catching on. We loaded into Danni’s minivan and slowly started making our way to our secret location.
There was no way I wanted to try and get married in downtown Charleston.
No way to hide in the middle of a hornets’ nest. So we were driving to one of the islands. A quick walk out into the sand, vows, and a dinner at one of the restaurants close by. We would be staying in the family’s beach house for the weekend, then back to work on Monday.
I—we—were getting married.
“I now pronounce you husband and wife. James, you may now kiss your bride.”
The whistles and cheering were the backdrop to the kiss of a lifetime. The man curled my toes and ignited something deep inside of me. My husband would be the death of me one day.
Husband.
“I love you, so much,” I said against his lips. My grin matched his.
“I love you, too, Mrs. Whitman.”
We posed for pictures with the family. Us with Lola. Us with Lola and the framed sonogram of our sweet baby girl. My eyes stung with unshed tears, my cheeks hurt from all of the smiling—this was heaven, and I didn’t want it to end.
I felt his lips on my cheek just before he scooped me up. I shrieked in laughter as he made a run for the water.
“James! Don’t you dare!”
It was too late. The jerk ran into the surf. The waves splashed up over us, and his mouth claimed mine in the ocean. Mother Nature swirling around us, and you know, it was absolute bliss.
Epilogue
